Satyrex speciosus Zamani, von Wirth & Just, 2025

Described by Volker von Wirth, Alireza Zamani, Pavel Just

Common name: Somali blonde tarantula

♀ Female described ♂ Male described
Female Female © Zamani et al. (2025), fig. 23E, live female. Photo: Přemysl Fabiánek

Type Locality and Records

Type locality

Original Description

Zamani, A., von Wirth, V., Fabiánek, P., Höfling, J., Just, P., Korba, J., Petzold, A., Stockmann, M., Elmi, H. S. A., Vences, M. & Opatova, V. (2025). Size matters: a new genus of tarantula with the longest male palps, and an integrative revision of Monocentropus Pocock, 1897 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Eumenophorinae). ZooKeys 1247: 89-126.

Distribution

Somaliland

Type Locality: SOMALILAND, Sanaag Region, Daallo

Adult Male Activity

Collection months of 1 adult male specimen record, against the rainfall where they live

Dry seasonWet seasonDry seasonWet season131°21°JFMAMJJASOND1020mm0
Adult males collected

Mean monthly rainfall and temperature 2001–2020 near where these males were collected, Somaliland. MERRA-2 via NASA POWER, for a grid cell averaging 1789 m. Wet and dry seasons, from the rainfall at the locality itself.

Etymology

The specific epithet is a Latin adjective meaning beautiful.

Specimen Records (2)

SMNS-Aran-004395 ♂ Holotype Somaliland

Daallo, Sanaag

September 2017 · col. P. Just

Holotype male of Satyrex speciosus. Total length 27.0 mm; carapace 13.6 mm, the largest in the genus.

SMNS-Aran-004396 ♀ Paratype Somaliland

Daallo, Sanaag

September 2017 · col. P. Just

Paratype female of Satyrex speciosus, collected with the holotype. Total length 30.15 mm.

Bibliography (1)

Zamani, A., von Wirth, V., Fabiánek, P., Höfling, J., Just, P., Korba, J., Petzold, A., Stockmann, M., Elmi, H. S. A., Vences, M. & Opatova, V. (2025). Size matters: a new genus of tarantula with the longest male palps, and an integrative revision of Monocentropus Pocock, 1897 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Eumenophorinae). ZooKeys 1247: 89-126.
The World Spider Catalogue